Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Tales of Asteria Mobile Game Unites Tales of Characters This Spring


Namco Bandai Games unveiled its newest title in its Tales of RPG franchise, Tales of Asteria, on Monday. The “RPG that ties together intersecting feelings” will be released this spring for smartphones via the App Store and Google Play store, and will be free-to-play with in-game content available for purchase. Namco Bandai Games also began streaming a teaser promotional video for the game, which will contain an completely original story:




The word “Asteria” means “story of stars,” according to the game's official website, which also opened on Monday. The website is currently accepting pre-registration for the game, and those who register early will be given a double chance to receive a Milla card and one more character card for use in the game. However, as of press time, Namco Bandai has halted registrations in order to perform maintenance.

As previously reported, Do as Infinity will perform the game's theme song, “believe in you.”

Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-02-17/tales-of-asteria-mobile-game-unites-tales-of-characters-this-spring

Monday, February 17, 2014

The Will of D.

Do you Agree?

Awesome Bags

Shit Just Got Real

How to Draw Manga Female Bodies #2

Kanji de Manga Vol 3 cover image
Next, let's move on to the arms. The arms consist of three basic sections: the upper arm, the foream, and the hand. Each can be represented in prelimiary sketches by oval shapes. Now, I know some people don't like using the shapes; you do not have to do it this way, this is just one possible way to go about sketching arms. Some books recommend using cylinders, but it's better to use flat ovals because they more closely match the shape of the arm. It isn't shown here, but if the arms are held loosely at the side, the hands should come down to the middle of the thigh. The elbows should be at about waist length.

Kanji de Manga Vol 3 cover image

Once you have your basic shapes of the arms down, you can refine them and make them look more realistic. This is a little more difficult. ^_^ When drawing the arms, don't make them straight and flat; arms have muscles, after all. ^_^ Never draw a straight arm as just a long cylinder (unless you are doing a super-deformed/chibi pic). ^_^ The arm starts at the shoulder. Notice how the shoulder bulges out slightly, then curves back down. The arm tapes slightly inwards until you reach the elbow.

At the elbow, the arm widens again just after the elbow where the biceps are (as shown in the topmost picture here). The elbow itself can be a little daunting to draw. Remember that the arm doesn't just start curving in the other direction; there is a joint, and it should be shown (as in the top and bottom left pic). There are more examples below.

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Here are some more poses for arms, this time showing how the parts of the arm overlap. It is sometimes easier to visualize the overlapping or foreshortening if you use basic oval shapes first, but again, you do not have to use them if you do not want to. Notice how in the topmost picture, the arm that is moving away from us tapers and grows smaller the further away from us it is.

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These poses are a little more difficult to refine. It is very important that you pay close attention to the way each part of the arm is facing, and how the elbow is to be positioned. Try to imagine the arm as two different shapes stuck together: the cylindrical upper arm, and the forearm, which is sort of shaped like a bowling pin with a bump on the bottom. ^_^ That should help you in determining the position of the elbow.




How To Draw Manga: Hair #1

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Depending on the style, anime hair can be very complex. However, if you break it down into its basic components, the process of drawing anime hair becomes a little simpler.

Like real hair, anime hair is composed of many strands. However, rather than drawing each individual strand, the hair is often drawn in various sized/shaped clumps, as shown here. These are some of the simplest forms of each hair style. Notice that in most cases, the outline is more curvy on the bottom of the hair clump. This is especially apparent on the top leftmost example; the lower line is curvier than the top line, giving the hair more depth and more of that anime-ish look. Sometimes this is highly exaggerated, and other times it is hardly noticable, but for most anime hair styles, each individual strand of hair will have this basic shape.

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Once you know how to draw each strand/clump of hair, you can start putting them together to form more something that more resembles anime hair. Look at each example here (well, exept maybe for that one on the lower left; I'm not sure why I left that in), and notice how the basic strands from the first step are used. The same similar shapes generally persist throughout many different hairstyles. Making one line curve out more than the other on each strand can really help to flesh it out.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you can make the hair as detailed as you like; just keep adding more strands. I'll go over this more shortly. ^_^

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Now, we are getting into some slightly more complex shapes. Notice how varying the size and shape of each strand gives the hair different character; the strands can be long and thin, thick and curvy, or sharp and spiky. Again, notice that you can either make the hair very detailed, or very simple, depending on how many individual strands you draw.

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Here are more examples of different basic shapes of hair. Take note of how the hair overlaps and is nested in itself when it bends or twists. You can make some really interesting hair by having it twist and turn all over the page. ^_^



Sculptors Document the Making of a Life Sized Hatsune Miku Statue

Hatsune Miku's official YouTube channel posted a video documenting the making of a life sized Miku statue and all of the painstaking detail that went into it. Complete with neon lights and a full body paint job, the statue is a fitting homage to the Vocaloid idol sensation.




The statue is on display in the "Miku Wing Shop" in Haneda Airport where it can be viewed by the public. If this Miku isn't enough for you, check out this year's Snow Miku lineup.

[Via YouTube.]

Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2014-02-16/sculptors-document-the-making-of-a-life-sized-hatsune-miku-statue

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Attack on Titan's English Dub to Debut at Anime Boston

North American anime distributor Funimation announced at Katsucon on Friday that its English dub of the Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) television anime series will premiere at Anime Boston. The convention will be held at Hynes Convention Center and the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts on March 21-23.

Mike McFarland (One Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist) is serving as ADR director for the dub. Funimation plans to announce the English cast leading up to the series' premiere at Anime Boston.


The adaptation of Hajime Isayama's original manga premiered in Japan on April 6. Director Tetsuro Araki (Death Note, Highschool of the Dead, Guilty Crown), head writer Yasuko Kobayashi (Shakugan no Shana, Claymore, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), character designer Kyoji Asano (Psycho-Pass, Tokyo Marble Chocolate), and Wit Studio (in cooperation with Production I.G) worked on Attack on Titan. The series stars Yuuki Kaji as Eren Yeager, Yui Ishikawa as Mikasa Ackerman, and Marina Inoue as Armin Arlert.

Both Funimation and Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired in Japan. Funimation slated the series to ship on home video this year.

Image © Hajime Isayama, Kodansha / "ATTACK ON TITAN" Production Committee

Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-02-15/attack-on-titan-english-dub-to-debut-at-anime-boston

Saturday, February 15, 2014

How to Draw Manga: Clothing #3

Kanji de Manga Vol 3 cover image
Now that we know some basic shapes and know a little more about how clothing should fit on your subject, let's work on the actual parts of your character's wardrobe. We'll start off by going over basic shirts. Whatever type of shirt you draw, there are some basic places where folds will occur. Sleeves will be stretched towards the shoulder. Fabric generally gathers and bunches up around the armpits and waistline. If you are drawing a character with a heavy jacket or a loose shirt, the fabric should be thick and baggy and full of folds and creases, while if it is a tighter fitting garment, the clothing will stick pretty close to your subject (which is why it is important to be able to draw bodies; I have found that you cannot always cover up your entire character with really loose clothing to hide the fact that you aren't very strong in figure drawing. ^_~)

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Here are some better examples of various shirts and clothing for the upper body. Notice that while some clothing fits closer to the body than other clothing, you still see many folds where ever the fabric is being stretched. Generally, you'll see folds the most at the armpits, upper portions of sleeves, waistlines, and depending on how tight the outfit is, the chest (as shown in the lower two examples). Also make sure that any seams that are visible on the clothing follow the shape of the cloth and the character that is wearing it. ^_^

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All right, let's work on the pants (something that I personally sometimes find a little daunting... ^.^;) I have noticed that guy's pants tend to be a little looser, while girl's pants cling closer to the subject. Also take note that female's rears tend to be more round, while guy's are tend to be flat and squared off (a rather strange observation, I know. ^_^;) No matter which gender you are drawing, the fabric will gather around the lower waist, knees, and ankles. The cloth around the upper and lower legs is generally pulled straight down by gravity and won't have too many folds, unless the leg is lifted up, in which case you'll have folds similar to the sleeves on the previous page.

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Here are two more examples of clothing for the lower body. The one the left is an example of really loose, baggy pants. The material is has more folds than normal pants, and in this case gathers at the ankles. Notice how poofy the pants get below the knees. The example on the right is just showing how no matter what you character is wearing, you need to consider the form of the figure beneath the clothing. In this case, the clothing is relatively tight, but hangs down past the knees, and thus is drawn a little tighter around the rear. Also notice how the loose fabric bunches up right above and below the belt. That concludes my tutorial on drawing clothing. It isn't the most organized tutorial, but I'm hoping that it covers enough areas so that it can be of some help to you. ^_^




Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment's 15-Second Commercial Streamed

Namco Bandai Games began streaming the 15-second TV spot for its Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment PlayStation Vita role-playing game on Friday. In the video, Filia laments the fact that if she stays in Kirito's company, she will die.


              By exploring the 76 cities in Aincrad, the player can pick up new friends and party members for their adventures. Kirito can also deepen his relationships with his partners by hanging out with them in the cities, such as going out on dates and holding hands with Asuna or any of the other girls. The game will include characters Asuna (Haruka Tomatsu), Lisbeth (Ayahi Takagaki), Silica (Rina Hidaka), Yui (Kanae Itō), Leafa (Ayana Taketatsu), Shinon (Miyuki Sawashiro), Strea (Misawa Sachika), and Filia (Yui Ishikawa).

In the game's special "adventure mode," players have the option to create their own characters and play with up to eight other people online to go on quests in the Hollow Area.

Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment is scheduled to ship for the PlayStation Vita on April 24. The first limited edition of the game will bundle a "Dengeki NerveGear Vol. 2" booklet that will also include fan illustrations with the theme "slave of Aincrad." The deadline to send in illustrations is January 30. The game's 9,980-yen (US$100) limited first edition will include a box with exclusive artwork by original novel illustrator abec, a soundtrack CD, a product code to unlock a special in-game outfit, a special contents Blu-ray Disc, mini clear posters, and special package and cases. The standard edition will retail for 6,170 yen (about US$62).

February Nintendo Direct Videos Posted

Nintendo streamed its first Nintendo Direct presentation of 2014 on Thursday. The video, hosted by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and Nintendo of America product marketing manager Erik Peterson, features announcements for more than 23 Nintendo games.




The video covers:


  • Little Mac from Punch-Out!! is joining the line-up for the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. The game will ship in 2014. (00:32)
  • Mario Golf: World Tour will ship for 3DS on May 2. (02:50)
  • Kirby Triple Deluxe will ship for 3DS on May 2. (04:29)
  • Yoshi's New Island will ship for 3DS on March 14. (06:35)
  • Steel Diver: Sub Wars will include a free version and a premium version, both of which are now available on eShop for 3DS. (09:36)
  • Rusty's Real Deal Baseball is a new download play game that was announced for the first time at this Nintendo Direct presentation. The game includes several baseball minigames available for purchase in-game. Players can haggle with the in-game salesperson, which is a dog named Rusty. The game will be available for 3DS in April. (12:20)
  • Pokémon Battle Trozei will debut on March 20 for 3DS. (15:40)
  • Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy will ship on February 28 for Nintendo 3DS. (17:17)
  • Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will ship for Nintendo 3DS in North America in early 2015. (20:44)
  • Weapon Shop de Omasse from the Guild 01 series will launch for the Nintendo 3DS eShop on February 20. (21:19)
  • Inazuma Eleven will debut in North America. (22:39)
  • Treasurenauts, Moon Chronicles, and Retro City Rampage indie games will be available on Nintendo eShop for 3DS , while Shovel Knight and 1001 Spikes will be available for Wii U. (24:11)
  • Child of Light will be available on the Nintendo eShop for Wii U on April 30.(26:28)
  • Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will ship for Wii U on February 21. (27:23)
  • NES Remix 2 will include several older NES games including Super Luigi Bros., and will be available for Wii U on April 25. (29:40)
  • Game Boy Advance games such as Metroid Fusion, Mario & Luigi Superstar Sage, Yoshi's Island Super Mario Advance 3, will be available on the Wii U. (31:37)
  • Mario Kart 8 will ship for Wii U on May 30. (32:19)
  • Monolith Soft's new title is previewed in a video. (34:52)
  • Bayonetta 2 will ship for Wii U this year. (37:40)

Friday, February 14, 2014

How To Draw Manga: Clothing #2

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Another thing I want to point out is the thickness of the fabric in question. The fabric on the top example appears thinner than the fabric in the lower example. Take note of both collars. On the top, the circular rim of the collar connects directly to the rest of the collar, while on the bottom, there is a space between the circular rim and the vertical part. The same applies to the edges of the cape. While on the top example, the edge is crisp and thin, on the bottom example there is extra space between the rim and the rest of the cape. This extra space makes the clothing look more thick and heavy.

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Now that we know a few of the basic shapes of folds in fabric, let's move on and see how clothing should look when it is actually being worn by someone. At the left, we have an example of a very loose, draping sleeve. As mentioned before, the main thing to consider is which direction the fabric will be pulled. The sleeve here is being pulled in two main directions: downwards because its pulled by gravity, and to the left because its attached to the main garment and is being stretched across the arm and torso. The folds in the sleeve will follow the direction that the cloth is being pulled. Notice also how the cloth bunches up around the wrist. This isn't necessary, but it does indicate the length and looseness of the sleeve.

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Here are three more sleeve examples. These sleeves are not as loose as the one shown above, and all stick pretty close to the arm. In these examples, the cloth is stretched from the arm to the shoulder and torso, rather than being pulled down mainly by gravity. There isn't enough material to be pulled down too greatly. Since the fabric is pulled horizontally, the folds should reflect this. The best example is the top picture here; notice how the folds move towards the shoulder instead of towards the ground. The sleeve in the middle picture is a little looser, and is pulled down by gravity more. The sleeve in bottom picture is big and loose, but is rolled up at the elbows, and thus doesn't hang and droop as much as the sleeve in the previous example.

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These are some miscellaneous bits of clothing that didn't fit into any of the other sections of this tutorial, but that I wanted to include anyway. In all these examples, try to identify where the cloth is being pulled towards and in what direction (for example, is it being pulled roughly towards the shoulder, or draping loosely over the subject?). Always remember to shade wherever the light doesn't fall, such as grooves, areas inside the folds, and places where the cloth overlaps.

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One small but important thing I would also like to go over before continuing is the effect that stripes can have. If you are drawing clothing that has stripes or a pattern on it, make sure that the pattern moves along with the rest of the fabric. Where the cloth bends, the stripes and patterns will bend, as well. This can be difficult to draw and shade, especially when you are dealing with complex patterns, but it can add a really nice three dimensional look to your picture.



How To Draw Manga: Clothing #1

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The most important thing to consider whenever you are drawing clothing or any type of fabric is the direction the fabric is going to be pulled in. Folds are caused wherever the fabric is being stretched or pulled; figure out how exactly you want the fabric to move, and the rest is pretty easy. Always remember to consider the figure beneath the clothing; the cloth should reveal the shape of the figure beneath. I'll go into more detail on this later.

At the left are some examples of basic types of folds. Notice the movement of each example shown; the fabric flows downward on the top left two, for they are being pulled down by gravity. This type of fold would be on something that hangs loosely, such as a cape or long shirt. On the lower left and upper right examples, the fabric is not only pulled by gravity, but stretched to the left (probably by an arm that is underneath the clothing). The folds become more horizontal than vertical the further it is stretched. Also notice how sometimes the folds are nested within one another. This will often occur at joints or areas in which loose clothing is bunched up. The lower right picture is a slightly more complex example of a more inert piece of cloth being pulled in a viarety of directions. Notice how the folds follow the direction that the cloth is being pulled in.


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Here are a few more examples of basic fold shapes. On the left, the cloth is being pulled downwards by gravity and to the right by wind or motion. One the left, the long strip of cloth is bunched up near the top. Remember to use shading to give your subjects more form. Generally, you shade along a fold line, or on any places that you think a shadow would be cast. This takes some getting used to. It helps to look at actual folds sometimes to see where to shade. Sometimes, I'll sketch the drapes or a towel hung over a chair just to practice and get a better feel for how clothing is shaded.


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Here are a few more random examples, of a bow and some sleeves. The most important thing to note here is the shape of the folds at the joint of the sleeve in the middle.


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These are some more complex, overlapping and nested folds. The more detail you put into it the folds, the more interesting it will look. On the left, notice how the fabric bunches up where it is tied together; the weight of the fabric pulls it down and causes extra creases and folds to form where it is gathered together. The tie itself is drawn with lots of detail, and the cloth beneath it blows loosely in the wind. The fabric is shaded around the folds and in the crevasses formed by the cloth. On the picture to the right, a length of fabric is draped upon the floor; notice how the folds nest in one another and overlap, creating an interesting effect.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

How To Draw Manga: Female Bodies #1

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I am going to begin this tutorial by addressing one of the most commonly asked questions that I receive: how to draw women's breasts (heh, I never thought I'd actually be making a tutorial about this.... ^_^). One of the most important things you should consider is to make your subject look natural; you can draw an attractive female without making her look like a "silicon implant ad," as a friend of mine put it. ^_^

The main problems people seem to have with drawing breasts are the shape and the placement. A lot of artists (professionals as well as ametuers) make them look like balloons that have been taped onto the subject's chest; this is hardly a natural look. If you look through figure drawing books, you'll see that they are more like halves of a sphere or overturned teacups rather than balloons.

Now, note the position. Imagine a central guideline that runs down the center of your subject's body, as shown at the left. The breasts are at 45 degree angles from that center line, and are about halfway down the chest (shown by the red diagonal guidelines). Be very careful not to draw them too close together or too far apart, or too high on the chest; these are commonly made mistakes. As you will see in examples below, this basic rule of the 45 degree placement will apply to pretty much whatever pose you are using.


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Here is another pose, showing the torso from a front view. Note how the breasts are still located at 45 degree angles from the center line of the body. Oh, also take note of the shading. After looking at various examples, I find that shading in this fashion (rather than just following the lower curves as you would shade a sphere) makes them look more natural.




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Here is one last pose to go over the size and placement. It's harder to see here, but the breasts are still at the 45 degree angle from the center line (which isn't draw in this picture; sorry about that ^_^;). Notice that the leftmost breast is drawn as a half-sphere, not as a full sphere. If you want to exaggerate the size, that's your choice, but I personally don't think its necessary.




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Now, lets move on to the neck and shoulders. When you draw the shoulders, notice that they are slope down smoothly, they aren't flat. Try to take the musculature structure of the neck and shoulders into consideration, especially if you are going for a more realistic look. They should be shaped more like a clothes hanger, and not drawn flat an hard.,



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Here are some more examples of various shoulder positions. Notice that the shoulders are never drawn flat and dull.



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One more thing I wanted to cover regarding the torso is how to draw it if an arm is lifted. ^_^ I have personally found this difficult sometimes, so I figured it was a good thing to go over. If the arm is lifted, then the back of the torso will be exposed. Although a female's torso isn't as round and full as a males, it should still stick out in the back. Don't make the upper torso too narrow. Notice also how the top of the right-most breast doesn't just keep curving inwards in a circle; remember that it is not a full sphere, so it is attached to the muscles of the shoulder.


SoniComi Game Offers Danganronpa Costumes


Kadokawa Games and Nitroplus' upcoming Motto! SoniComi game for the PlayStation 3 will allow players can customize Super Sonico with Danganronpa-themed costumes. Super Sonico can wear hoodies and carry puppets resembling the black-and-white bear Monokuma or the pink-and-white rabbit Monomi from the Danganronpa and Super Danganronpa 2 PlayStation Portable games. The outfits will be available in the in-game store.


The Motto! SoniComi "love communication" game is an updated version of the 2011 PC game SoniComi with revamped graphics and easier gameplay. In the game, players aim to become a professional cameraman, and take requests from various clients while deepening a friendship with the new gravure idol Sonico.

Super Sonico is the mascot girl of the "Nitro Super Sonic" events held by Nitroplus. In her back story, she is already a photoshoot model, game character, and a musician, even as she studies as a college student. She is also part of a three-piece girl band named "Daiichi Uchū Sokudo" (Fastest Speed in Space) as the vocalist and guitarist.

Motto! SoniComi is slated to ship in Japan on March 20, 2014 in a limited edition for 9,240 yen (US$90) and a normal edition for 7,140 yen (US$70). Those who pre-order the game will get a code for a "sweet" costume DLC designed by Santa Tsuji.

Spike Chunsoft's revamped PlayStation Vita version of Danganronpa, localized by NIS America as Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, was released in Japan in 2010 and will ship in the United States on Tuesday and in Europe on Friday. The game inspired a television anime series that premiered on July 4. Funimation streamed the series as it aired.



Sunday, February 9, 2014

How To Draw Manga: Facial Expressions #2

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It's surprising how often anime and manga characters talk with their eyes closed... ^_^ I wonder how many people actually talk like that...? Anyway, closed eyes can express a variety of emotions. Here, they express impatience or annoyance, but they can also express calmness, happiness, or smugness. Flip the eyes around and have them curve upwards, and they can express extreme sadness, as well as excitement. For this particular picture, I made the eyebrows angle downwards and drew the mouth open. Notice how I drew the upper left lip slightly raised; this helps whatever emotion you are trying to convey seem more negative, whether you are drawing anger, unhappiness, or impatience. ^_^


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Happiness is one of the most common emotions you see with pictures of anime and manga characters. Excessive happiness or excitement can be expressed by large eyes, highly arched eyebrows, and a big smiling mouth. Other features such as extra shinies in the eyes and the upward curving of the lower eyelid are also common. On a side note, more kawaii characters tend to have huge eyes, and small noses and mouths (unless their mouth is open, as in this picture).


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This character is happy, as well, but not to the extent as in the previous example. The emotion is much more subtle. Notice that the eyebrows have been lowered (though they still arch slightly) and the curve of the mouth is very slight. The lower eyelids are arched, though, and the irises are still pretty large, so though the character's contentment is not as obvious, it is still clear he's in a good mood. ^_^


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To express surprise or shock, enlarge the eyes and make the pupils smaller. This is particularly apparent in anime and manga face faults, when a character is so suprised that his/her eyes become almost as large as the rest of the face... ^_^ In this particular example, the mouth is drawn really small, but other sizes will work too.


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This guy isn't particularly exciting, he just looks irritated. The irises are small, the eyebrows are arched down, and the mouth is small and slightly off center. I can't think of much else to say for this one... ^_^



Saturday, February 8, 2014

How To Draw Manga: Facial Expressions #1

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Changing the expression of anime and manga characters isn't particularly difficult, but it helps to know which features need to be adjusted for each type of emotion. In this tutorial, I will show you how the various parts of the face work together to convey different emotions. Once you learn what features to change to achieve the look you want, you should be able to draw any emotion you like. Please read through my other facial tutorials, though, since it helps to have a working knowledge of how the features should be aligned before you begin. First, we'll start off going over sadness, a fairly common emotion. This is a typical anime and manga face, but notice the changes that have been made. The most obvious indicator of the character's emotion, in this case, are the eyebrows. Notice how the inner tips of the eyebrows curve upwards. Also, her lower eyelids curve upward slightly, while her upper eyelids have a more large, round curve. Curving the lower eyelid can indicate stress, sorrow, or anger; in this case, the shape of the eyebrows shows us that it is sorrow. ^_^ Also, notice the shape of the mouth; it is small, and curves downward. Overall, the character looks like she's about to burst into tears.


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This form of sadness is more subdued. The character seems depressed, but not as sad as the previous example. The eyes are smaller here (partly because this is a guy ^_^), and the mouth is larger and does not curve down so far. The angle of the eyebrows and the arch of the lower eyelid still let you know that this character is upset about something.


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This picture is sort of a transition between sadness and anger. The eyebrows curve down sharply and his mouth is drawn so it looks like he is shouting, both of which indicates that he is mad, yet his irises are still very large. This sort of makes him look like he is angry, yet hurt or upset at someone or something.


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This guy is clearly very ticked off, even though he isn't shouting. ^_~ You can draw angry people without them screaming their heads off. In this picture, the eyebrows are close to the eyes and angle down sharply (I also drew the folds in the skin caused by drawing ones eyebrows together like that), and the mouth angles downwards sharply. The eyes have been narrowed, and irises are very small, which helps to make a character look even more angry. ^_^




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I'm not sure about this one; he looks both confused and ticked off. Alternating the angles of the eyebrows like this indicates confusion or incredulity. To add to the expression, draw the mouth slightly off-center, as well.


Friday, February 7, 2014

How To Draw Manga: Male Eyes #2

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Here is a collection of male eyes. Notice that some could be mistaken for female eyes; the difference between the two genders isn't always that distinct, especially in young children. Most of the eyes here are narrower than the female eyes, and the tops of their eyes aren't as thick. Male characters don't always have light glares on their eyes, but I tend to draw them in anyway. ;)


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Once you have the right eye drawn, you're probably going to want to draw the left eye, too. ^_^ All you have to do is draw the mirror image of the exact same eye. The placement of the second eye can be tricky, though. Anime and manga eyes, no matter what style, are always drawn about one eye length apart. The distance may be a little more or less, but one eye length is a good measurement.

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You probably are not always going to draw your characters facing towards you, though, so you'll need to know how to line up eyes at different angles. On the head portion of this general face tutorial, you will see that I use curved guidelines to define where I'm going to place the eyes. Always draw guidelines to help you position the eyes, until you are really good at it and no longer need them. You don't want the eyes to be off-center. Notice that in this picture, the right eye is smaller and flatter than the left since it's further away from you.

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This is pretty much the same thing, except the head is tilted in the other direction. In this picture, the left eye is smaller than the right. Both eyes still follow the curve of the face. Eyes that don't line up properly can look very sloppy, so be careful.







Live-Action Rurouni Kenshin Sequels' New Poster Debuts

The new poster for this year's two live-action Rurouni Kenshin sequel films debuted on Friday. The poster highlights the Great Kyoto Fire in the first sequel's title, Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen, as well as the visage of former government assassin Shishio behind Kenshin himself. The tagline reads: The most insane enemy appears.


                       
                    Theaters throughout Japan will begin displaying this poster this weekend.

The two new films will cover the Kyoto arc from Nobuhiro Watsuki's original historical action manga. Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: The Great Kyoto Fire) will open in Japan on August 1, and Rurouni Kenshin: Densetsu no Saigo-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: The End of a Legend) will open on September 13. Principal photography on the two films ended on December 27 after six months of filming.

The sequels will feature the return of the following cast members:


  • Takeru Satoh as Kenshin Himura
  • Emi Takei as Kaoru Kamiya
  • Munetaka Aoki as Sanosuke Sagara
  • Yuu Aoi as Megumi Takani
  • Yosuke Eguchi as Hajime Saitō


Tao Tsuchiya as Misao Makimachi

   

Ryunosuke Kamiki as Sōjirō Seta
   

Yusuke Iseya as Aoshi Shinomori
    

68-year-old min Tanaka (Tekkonkinkreet, The Twilight Samurai, 47 Ronin remake) as Nenji Kashiwazaki/Okina
      

47-year-old Kazufumi Miyazawa (The Boom music band) as Toshimichi Ōkubo
  

39-year-old Yukiyoshi Ozawa (Umi no Hotaru) as Hirobumi Itō

12-year-old Kaito Ōyagi (Ninja Kids!!! Summer Mission Impossible) as Yahiko Myōjin

25-year-old model Maryjun Takahashi as Yumi Komagata


The cast of the Juppongatana (Ten Swords), a group of elite swordsmen led by Shishio (played by Tatsuya Fujiwara), include:

  • Ryōsuke Miura as Chō Sawagejō
  • Kenichi Takitō as Hōji Sadojima
  • Tomomi Maruyama as Anji Yūkyūzan
  • Matsu Murata as Usui Uonuma
  • Hiroko Yashiki as Kamatari Honjō
  • Yuuya Hara as Henya Kariwa
  • Takao Yamada as Iwanbō
  • Kentarō Shimazu as Saizuchi
  • Kōta Yamaguchi as Fuji



Taketo Tanaka played Yahiko in the first live-action Rurouni Kenshin film. Director Keishi Ōtomo (Ryōmaden) returned from the first film along with character costume designer Kazuhiro Sawataishi.

The first live-action Rurouni Kenshin film opened in Japan in 2012. The film had its North American premiere in Los Angeles in December 2012.

Watsuki's manga ran from 1994 to 1999 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine and sold over 57 million copies. The creator also drew the Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration retelling that launched in Jump Square magazine in May 2012 and ended last year. He is now planning a new Rurouni Kenshin spinoff manga about enemy characters.

An anime series aired in Japan from 1996 to 1998 and spawned several anime film and video projects. Viz Media publishes both manga in North America, while Media Blasters released the television anime. ADV Films released two later original video anime projects and a film on DVD, and Aniplex released these three titles on Blu-ray Disc. Sentai Filmworks released the two more recent video anime series on Blu-ray Disc and DVD, which also covered the Kyoto arc.

Images © Nobuhiro Watsuki/Shueisha © 2014 Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen/Densetsu no Saigo-hen Production Committee